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Get started with the Doodle app

January 04, 2019 16:03

Updated

Welcome to Doodle! We’re happy you’re with us. Pretty soon you’ll be using the best online tool to create events and schedule meetings with lots of people. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to use. We’ll go through your first poll together, so you can get the hang of it!

Download the app

Get the Doodle app from the App store or the Google play store.

After installation, when you open the app, you can choose to create an account with your email address or log in with your Google or Facebook account. When you use your email address, you have to activate it through the activation email that will land in your email inbox.

Personalized dashboard

Once you’re all logged in you’ll see your dashboard. Now it’s blank but pretty soon it’ll be full up with all the polls you’ve created and those you’ve been invited to.

Example poll

If you want to see just a finished example poll and play around with it, click the link create example poll in the bottom. Open it, participate, comment on it or add new dates, whatever you want to try, just do it here. Nobody else can see the content of this poll. It’s just in your app, and when you finished trying on it, you can just delete it or leave it on your dashboard.

Create your own poll

Now, it’s time to create your first own poll. Let’s pretend we’re having a barbecue, shall we? Tap the blue plus button at the bottom of the screen to start a poll. We’ve got a few options for polls:

Time poll

Suggest a number of dates and times options for your poll, in order to find the date that works best for you and all the poll participants.

Text poll

Make a list of free text options for your poll, in order to find the option that you and all the poll participants most like.

Reuse poll

Choose an existing poll to reuse it. You can edit it as needed, before you invite participants to it. This poll type is only available, when you have own polls.

1 2 3 – and you’re done

Since we’re trying to find the best date for all of our friends to meet, we want to make a date poll. For the title field, type in e.g. "Barbecue".

Then hit select dates. You’re the creator of this poll, and you love barbecues, so you should put in some dates that fit your schedule. Your friends will be able to choose the dates that fit their schedules from those you’ve just selected. After you tap some dates, tap add times to add some time slots, if needed. Tap within the date range to create a time slot. You can hold and drag the white circle to extend the time. Tap it once again if you’d like to delete it or copy it to all of the other dates.

Save your changes and go back to the poll menu, include an event location and a description, if you want. Special poll settings are great for polls with special needs: e.g. hidden or limited, or "Yes, No, If need be" polls. Just give it a try!

Tap the create button when you're done. Congratulations, you’ve just created your first Doodle poll!

Let them participate

You’re free to share this poll with anyone you like. Send it out via email, Messenger, or WhatsApp for your participants to choose the best date. You can also just copy the link and share it on any channel you prefer.

Invite via Doodle

The easiest way is to connect your phone address book, and invite all participants via Doodle email. This way is very fast and helpful, since you see later who was already invited to this poll. Additionally, if you use Premium, you see on the poll table who didn't participate yet in the poll, and you can remind them easily to do so. You get detailed information about who already opened the invitation, or if the email wasn't delivered (e.g. because the email address was outdated). When you tap on the invitees or participants, you get additional details, and you can send them a personal message to organize everything you need.

Choose final option

Once their votes are in, you can easily see the date that best fits everyone’s schedules and then choose the final option, which closes the poll. The only step after that would be to have a great time at your first Doodle-organized event.

Decide on whatever you like

Doodle can be used for more than just finding a date. Remember the Test poll option from above? You can fill in any options you like for your participants to vote on. Can’t decide between pulled-pork sandwiches or honey-barbecue glazed chicken for your barbecue party? Include those options in your poll and let your friends decide. Or what about the location of the barbecue? There’s an endless list of things you simply decide on with Doodle.

This is just the basics. See the rest of our FAQs for more details about our product and some neat tips and tricks. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to get in touch. We’re happy to help!